Cross-country skiing

It looks like there’s zero downtime for Therese Johaug; she just snagged another win, even if the fight for the overall title took a backseat this time.
Nepryaeva definitely walked away with the biggest advantage here by widening the gap between herself and Diggins in the race for the overall title, but
there's some heavy speculation swirling that the Swedes and Norwegians might block Russian athletes from competing on their home turf, leaving everyone wondering what's going to happen to that canceled season finale in Tyumen.

It’s been a long time since I’ve seen someone cross the finish line first with this much authority, just like how Therese pulled ahead of Nepryaeva by a second. Honestly, it’s baffling how the others even dare to show up anymore. Bravo, Therese!!

Robin Grant said:It’s been a long time since I felt this much joy watching someone cross the finish line first—just like how Therese edged out Nepryaeva by a mere second! Honestly, it’s hard to wrap my head around how they're even allowed to compete anymore. Huge props to Therese!!

https://twitter.com/SuperFolde/statu...N9xrxB8Ag&s=19

I honestly didn't see Fallo taking down Sundling in the sprint, but clearly, having the home-field advantage and that electric atmosphere in Drammen worked wonders for her. This marks her first win in
her specific discipline in two years.
In the men's race, Jouve finally managed to snag a sprint victory after a string of podium finishes amidst today's incredibly tough competition. Johannes Klæbo and the rest of the top Norwegian squad are looking pretty stoked.

Looking ahead, this Sunday features perhaps the most legendary cross-country race out there, the Vasaloppet, which is actually
celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. They're expecting about 50,000 participants competing across various categories.

Just a little reminder 😁
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2mw...=ignatyukpavel

The rumors were right all along—Therese Johaug is heading into her final race tomorrow at the legendary Holmenkollen during the SK. Honestly, she could have easily dominated the sport for years to come, but it seems like after sweeping those gold medals at the last Olympics, she’s already checked everything off her bucket list.
Let's hope she grabs one last win to close it all out.

https://www.xc-ski.de/events/langlau...ndet-karriere/

Watching her race is quite a spectacle. It’s a shame she’s moving on.

Therese Johaug🙏🙏

The Norwegian women might find themselves in a bit of a bind if Heidi Weng doesn't manage to get back to her peak performance by next
year.

What an incredible venue for a maiden victory! Nyenget pulled off a massive upset at 31 miles during the legendary
Holmenkollen race. Ivo unfortunately fell short again, finishing just 4th. It was such a missed opportunity for him, especially since
wasn't there to compete, and the rest of the Norwegian A-team had been sidelined until recently. Plus, the course conditions were perfectly suited to his specific style.

Paul White62 said:What a venue for a maiden victory. Nyenget pulled off a total shocker at 31 miles in the legendary
Holmenkollen. Ivo fell short again, finishing just 4th. It was a massive missed opportunity since there were no
Russians in the mix, and the entire Norwegian A-team was sidelined until recently—not to mention the course played right into his style.

The Norwegians took 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. If I caught what the commentator was saying correctly, it’s the first time we've seen a sweep like that at Holmenkollen since the eighties.

Robin Grant said:The Norwegians took 1st, 2nd, and 3rd! If I heard the commentator correctly, this is the first time we've seen such a sweep at Holmenkollen in decades, maybe since the eighties.

I went to check the stats, and the last time that kind of dominance happened was back in 1985.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holmenkollen_50_km
It’s actually quite fascinating that the legendary Bjørn Dæhlie never secured a win here at Holmenkollen. Looking at the current field, I think
Bolshunov could potentially grab another victory here and cement his status as the greatest at Holmenkollen—that is, if we don't count the legends who raced a century ago.

Meanwhile, over in Sweden, they just finished another legendary race, the Vasaloppet. 56 miles It's essentially the marathon equivalent of cross-country skiing where anyone can sign up; nearly 16,000 people participated today! Even Therese Johaug's brother joined the fray and pulled off an impressive 10th place finish.

https://twitter.com/epaphotos/status...Cy5diu5tIpAAAA

Sundling absolutely toyed with the competition during that final sprint—it was honestly wild to watch.
Even though she’s clearly the top sprinter right now, the small crystal globe is headed to Maja Dahlqvist.

By capitalizing on the fact that Klæbo missed those last two sprints, Jouve managed to clinch today's win
and take home the sprinting globe title.

Paul White62 said:Well, the rumors were actually spot on—Therese Johaug is heading into her final race at the SK championships tomorrow on the legendary Holmenkollen course. Honestly, she probably could have kept dominating for years, but I guess after grabbing those gold medals at the last Olympics, she felt like she’d checked everything off her bucket list.
A win would be the perfect way to wrap it all up.

https://www.xc-ski.de/events/langlau...ndet-karriere/

She certainly had the talent to keep going, but she chose not to, and hey, nobody is stopping her from competing until she's 40 if she ever changes her mind. 😁 It just feels like she knows she might never reach that absolute "GOAT" status, so why drag it out? Since even the GOAT herself sent her personal congratulations, I think it's only right that we all join in and celebrate her too.

crimsoncobra36 said:She could have kept going, but she chose not to. Nobody is stopping her from competing until she's 40 if she really wants to 😁. She’s likely aware she won't ever claim that GOAT title, so why bother? Since the GOAT herself sent her personal congratulations, I think we should all join in on those well-wishes.

I’ll take peak Therese Johaug at any distance, every single time.9.3 miles + 😁

Let them settle things at the Vasaloppet in 56 miles, though Justyna Kowalczyk
might just jump in there too, considering she’s actually won this legendary race. All jokes aside, I don't mind if Bjørn Kjeldebye is considered the greatest, but there are plenty of other elite racers out there besides those two. Adding to that list,
we've got Skar, Vjalbe, and my personal favorite from when I first started following cross-country skiing—the Italian racer Belmonde.

Paul White62 said:the Italian Jean-Paul Belmondoon.

Sadly, that’s all ancient history now, and the former Valbe is even older. Honestly, if you look at her through the lens of being from the old USSR era, I wouldn't really put her in any GOAT conversation; when you're dealing with the former USSR, we all know those places were basically just doping factories, much like East Germany and the rest of the Eastern Bloc.

As for the Polish athlete, she probably only managed to win there because after her own doping scandal, she didn't exactly go out and dominate quite as much as she once would have 😉

With the Vasaloppet, people from all age groups can compete, so there’s really no reason why these legends couldn't have a little rematch one of these days. My only gripe is that, as far as I know, they only allow classic style there; the GOAT would absolutely crush it if freestyle were an option, but under these rules, it might actually be a close race 😬

crimsoncobra36 said:Unfortunately, that’s all ancient history now, and the former Valbe is even older than that. Honestly, looking at her as someone coming out of that 80s era, I wouldn't dream of putting her in any GOAT conversation. When you're dealing with athletes from the old USSR days, we all know how that went—it was basically just state-sponsored doping factories working alongside East Germany and the rest of the Eastern Bloc.

It seems like she might have only had a shot at winning there. Honestly, ever since that whole doping scandal broke, she hasn't really been able to secure victories quite like she used to. 😉

At the Vasaloppet, athletes from all age groups can compete. Honestly, there’s no reason why these absolute legends couldn't face off in a rematch once in a while! My only gripe—as far as I know—is that they only allow classic style at that event. If freestyle were an option too, the GOAT would absolutely dominate. It would be such a close race otherwise! 😬

I hear what you’re saying regarding Vjalbe, but honestly, that’s a hurdle we see in so many sports—especially in track and field, where...
It’s honestly baffling. Some absolutely ridiculous results from that era are still sitting there on the books. They haven't been wiped out at all, even though everyone knows those athletes were using horse tranquilizers.
Doping—that’s exactly why I included her. She was defined by that era, plain and simple.

Sure, anyone can technically sign up for the Vasaloppet, and there are plenty of races lined up throughout the week, but this specific one... 56 miles Look, I'm the one calling the shots here, and let me tell you—you can find plenty of similar races happening over in the USA, Canada, or Japan.
If you ever put Bjørgen and Johaug up against each other on this specific distance—no matter what kind of racing style they choose—I honestly think Therese Johaug would just blow them both away.😁

Paul White62 said:I totally get where you're coming from regarding Vjalbe, but honestly, that's an issue in so many sports—especially track and field, where
some absolutely insane records from that era still stand today, even though everyone knows there was significant
doping involved. That’s really the only reason I brought her up; she just defined an entire era.

Sure, anyone can sign up for the Vasaloppet and there are plenty of other races throughout the week, but this one 56 miles is the big one. You see similar massive endurance events in the US, Canada, or Japan...
And if we're talking about a head-to-head between Bjørgen and Johaug at this distance, regardless of the technique used, I think Therese Johaug would have outpaced her. 😁

The main thing is that those are still the most significant records from the recent past, and by the end of the 80s, there weren't really any massive superstars in these sports like there were in the 90s and early 2000s. Regardless of everything else, Marit Bjørgen is going to remain the GOAT for a very, very long time.

Those popular marathon-style races are recreational in nature, of course, but it still matters who comes out on top 56 miles. As for the idea of Johaug outpacing her, I don't think that would happen; you're forgetting that Bjørgen has completely dominated the competition quite a few times, including Johaug herself, on longer distances. That includes 19 miles too. Since Bjørgen is physically stronger and larger than Johaug, it feels unrealistic to expect her to keep up the pace on 56 miles—it's like saying Usain Bolt wouldn't stand a chance in the 5000m or 10000m. 😁

It's such a shame there weren't more races at 30km or 31 miles for women in CC, because we would have seen way more of those legendary duels. The FIS knows that cross country is one of the least watched segments of winter sports, especially when it comes to races that drag on for several hours, so they seem to be scheduling less and less of them. Sprints are exciting in any sport, which is why those shorter distances still pull in some viewership. For the casual fan, watching those tense, nail-biting duels that last only a few minutes is much more engaging, especially when you have champions like Bjørgen. Or take those unforgettable, heart-stopping finishes from Northug—we just don't see that kind of stuff anymore.

Charlotte Kalla wrapped up her professional career at the Swedish Championship, and she did it by 9.3 miles taking the win
. Meanwhile, 6.2 miles in CC, she finished third. It’s a truly wonderful way to end a career that was incredibly successful, highlighted by gold medals
at the Olympics and the World Championships, along with 12 wins in CC and nearly 60 podium finishes.
The only thing missing from her trophy case is the VKG, even though she was a consistent presence in the Top 10 Ski from 2008 all the way through 2019.

It’s actually quite clever how the folks over at FIS have handled things. They've managed to balance out the race segments for both men and women, which isn't an issue at all.
The women will be tackling 31 miles, but they decided to apply a different logic for the shorter disciplines. Essentially, they've scaled down
the men's segments to match the current female lengths😵
New distances:

Sprint
6.2 miles Individual/Mass Start
12 miles Individual
12 miles Skiathlon
31 miles Mass Start

World Cup 2022/2023

Hand (FIN)
Lillehammer (NOR)
Beitostolen (NOR)
Davos (SUI)
Tour de Ski (Val Müstair (SUI), Oberstdorf (GER), Val di Fiemme (ITA))
Milan (ITA)
Les Rousses (FRA)
Toblach (ITA)
World Championships Planica (SLO)
Drammen (NOR)
Holmenkollen (NOR)
Falun (SWE)
Tallinn (EST)
Lahti (FIN)

On another interesting note, the incredible Canadian sprinter Lampič is actually leaving CC behind to move into
biathlon. It's a really fascinating move, especially since the CC World Championships are being held right there in Canada next year.

The new season is just around the corner, and if you ask me, the men's side might end up being a bit of a snooze fest due to the heavy
dominance of the Norwegians. On the flip side, things should get way more interesting with the women since we won't have
Johaug anymore.
This opens up a massive window for the Swedish women to snatch the VKG. It honestly sounds wild that they’ve never
actually had a Cross Country winner, especially considering Ebba Andersson has only managed to land in the top 3 over the last two seasons.
While their women's Cross Country scene is absolutely exploding with a huge roster of elite
athletes, the men's side seems to be in a total slump.

As for Klaebo, he's a complete wildcard heading into the season opener because he's been battling injuries all summer long.
However, he has signed up for a test race in Norway this weekend, which will help him decide whether he'll actually
show up for the start of the Ski season.

Enough with this half-baked nonsense about the green terrain; let's get back to the serious business at hand.☕

The Hand looks absolutely stunning for the season opener—it’s a total paradise out there.